Soluble hypochlorite composition



252. CDMPOSITIOHS.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SOLUBLE HYPOCHIDBITE COMPOSITION Charles B. Durgin, Anniston, Ala assignor, by

mesne assignments, to Monsanto Chemical Company, a corporation of Delaware No Drawing. Application November 23, 1932, Serial N0. 644,079

28Clalms.

This invention relates to a new hypochlorite composition of matter, and further relates to a hypochlorite composition which is completely water-soluble in alkaline solutions such as would be obtained by the presence of soaps or other alkaline detergents in solution.

Bleaching powder, consisting of a mixture of calcium hypochlorite and calcium chloride, and also the purer forms of calcium hypochlorite as well as the various double and triple salts of calcium hypochlorite and sodium hypochlorite,

such as the compound Ca( 0C1) n.NaOCl.NaCl.12H2O have been long used for the preparation of disinfecting and bleaching solutions. However, most-if not allof these bodies contain calcium which, if not insoluble, is present in such a form, in solution as to react with soaps, forming the corresponding insoluble compounds. It was consequently diflicult, if not impossible, to use these calcium or other alkaline earth metal hypochlorites in a detergent containing soap or trisodium 4 phosphate, because of the large bulk of precipitate formed. The formation of this precipitate is an important deterrent in the use of these hypochlorites in laundry and dairy bleaching or disinfecting operations, making such alkaline earth metal hypochlorites of limited value. In order to overcome this objection it has been proposed to eifect the formation of lime-free sodium hypochlorite solutions by double decomposition of a pure calcium hypochlorite with soda ash or sodium sulphate, this reaction being carried out as a separate and distinct operation. In order to facilitate this operation, preparations containing both the pure calcium hypochlorite and either soda ash or sodium sulphate have been produced. It has also been proposed to make mixtures of calcium hypochlorite or bleaching powder and alkali metal salts of acids that will form soluble salts with the calcium present in the hypochlorite.

In the first of these proposals a separate operation is necessary, involving solution and decantation or the precipitate formed, which may be undesirable or inconvenient; while in the second case, altho the calcium is rendered watersoluble, it would be diiiicult, if not imposflble, to use such soluble calcium containing solutions in combination with soap or in alkaline solution, because of the formation of the well known insoluble calcium soaps. In this connection it v has been recommended that a small proportion of an acid be employed in order to obtain &

aft, 9

complete solubility. Such addition is undesirable because of the well-known instability of the hypochlorite in acid solutions.

I have now discovered a hypochlorite composition which is completely soluble in alkaline as well as acid solutions and which, furthermore, may be employed in alkaline hard-water solutions without the formation of a precipitate therein, and which may accordingly be employed in combination with the known alkaline detergents. I have discovered that if alkali metal metaphosphates or mixtures of such metaphospliatesand pyrophosphates are mixed with hypo- Examiner chlorit'es containing alkaline earth metals such as calcium or magnesium or with other hypm chlorites, either solid or in solution, which it is desired to employ in waters containing dissolved alkaline earth metal compounds, an improved hypochlorite composition is obtained which is capable of use in alkaline'as well as in acid waters. My improved composition is preferably compounded with the ordinary bleaching powder or the purer forms of calcium hypochlorite now on the market or even with the triple salts containing alkali and alkaline earth metal hypochlorites in the molecule, altho alkali metal hypochlorites may also be used. By employing such a combination as will be hereinafter more fully set out, I have found that the alkaline earth metal present in the hypochlorite composition, or in the hard water, is.rendered soluble in alkaline solutions, and furthermore is combined in such a form so that the ordinary soaps or other alkaline detergents are not decomposed or precipitated when used in such a solution. The advantage of a composition of this kind is obvious, since it makes possible the use of the readily available and The alkali metal metaphosphates which I employ should be, of course, the water-soluble varieties, and may be either-the sodium. potassium, or even the lithium, caesium or rubidium metaphosphates. The sodium or potassium metaphos- 'phates, being most easily prepared, are of course to be preferred and may be. prepared in soluble form by the process described by Precht in British 7 Patent 7,958 of 1892, I

Examiner The alkali metal metaphosphate, as prepared by this method, is a glass-like amorphous solid and for the purpose of my invention may be crushed or ground in known manner to a fairly 7' With the aid of the above table it will be possible jti for one skilled in the art to prepare solutions of varying alkalinity as may be desired. In general, it may be said that I have found the use of mixtures capable of yielding a pH of 7.0 to 7.5 in a 1% 1. 'A hypochlorite composition comprising a substantially pure calcium hypochlorite 10 parts,

I tine state of division. In order to obtain rapid aqueous solution more satisfactory in preparing solution of the metaphosphate, the material is my hypochlorite compositions because then a ground to pass say a 50 mesh screen, but it is greater proportion of the metaphosphate is presobvious that larger or smaller sizes may be.ement, which is more effective than the pyrophosployed. phate in accomplishing the desired results of my In order to obtain one form of my improved invention, altho the latter is also efiective and 10 hvpochlorite composition, mix together three may be used in place of the metaphosphate. If a parts by weight of ground sodium metaphosphate higher alkalinity is desired, it is preferable to oband 1 part by weight of a stable dry powdered tain this by the use of another alkaline salt such calcium hypochlorite containing minimum as soda ash or trisodium phosphate.

16 amounts of impurities, such, for example, as that For most purposes. it may be said that the proproduced by the method of U. 8. Patent 1,481,039, portion of metaphosphate used should be suffiand which will contain in the neighborhood of cient to yield at lwmsatoms in 59% available chlorine. My improved hypochlothe solution to one ca e um or other alkaline earth fite will then contain in the neighborhood of metal atom and a'hl'g'lie'fpropofilon'irlay be desir- 20 available chlorine, and may be used in the usual able. In case the pyrophosphate is used alone, 20 wayIfFfi dissolving inwater, for disinfecting and the proportions should be at least 5 phosphorus bleaching. atoms to 1 of calcium, and a higher proportion Example II may be desirable. I have also noted that the proportion of phosphorus atoms to calcium atoms 95 m g iggig gg fi z s g fa figg f gz f fi present in the solution will necessarily be higher anhydrous trisodium phgm 55 parts f a when employing the more alkaline solutions a mgw hate. This whether such alkalinity is obtained by the use of we Wm cont n approxmqb of walk pyrophosphate or by the use of another alkaline w able chlo'rine. Upon solution in water it may be such soda, ash or tnsodium phosPhateit employed for combined cleaning and disinfecting however! possible i any case to obtain the operations, and Wm not precipitate insoluble sired complete solution by employing the ratios calcium phosphate fro t solution other herein suggested or in case incomplete solubility sodium phosphates or even soda ash or soap may is encountered, due to an excess of calcium or be substituted m part for the sodium phos other alkaline earth metal in the solution, by

85 phat, it damn adding an additional amount of the meta or the Example I lsnoileltlaigpryrophosphate compound. or both to the In Place of the calcium hypocmorit'e used in By way -of further distinguishing my invention, Examples 1 and 11 1 may employ the I desire to point out that what I obtain is more 40 bleaching powderv such as contains 28% than a simple solution of the calcium or other 40 available In this 2 by alkaline earth metal compounds in the presence s c 0 es. 0 anw a co vaen ,an phospm'w in Aaatisfwtc'rycomwsmon what behaves as, a soft water solution; that is, a

5 will comprise 15 parts by weight of a bleach water solution of hypochlorite which may contain as powder containing 29% available chlorine and dissolved calcium or magnesium compounds but 3% g; zgg g ggggggfigg gg m place of which is capable of readily forming a lather with the man metphosphates I may empmy accordingly possible to mix soap or soap so mm metaphmhates and alkali powders or other alkaline detergents directly with so metal pymphosprfmtefi f g z g thus the mixtures disclosed in the above examples,

W g t gfi fif g gsfi 2: a 2:13; making thereby a complete water-soluble disinbmmned than b the use of a"meta ga fecting and detergent composition. 0n the other alone ms is orimrucular advanta e is: rm hand, if such premixing of the detergent with the duction of stable hypochlorite solutio ns since it is hypochlome composition is not convenient or known that such solutions are more stable when otherwise desirable solutions of the hypochlom? mung than when acid in character may be separately prepared, after which these so- The 10110 wing table gives the apponmate y lutions may be combined with ordinary deterdmen on concentration (pH) of mixtures of gents. Such compositions as I have herein dis- 00 h hate d m h closed may be used with or without additional de- 60 meta? um pmp tergents and are especially valuable in hard waters, that is in waters containing calcium or m d 1% magnesium compounds in solution. Percent Percent Having described only three embodiments of a Nulr v NaPOs my invention, it will be apparent, however, that a my invention is not so limited but is susceptible g g a: I to various changes and modifications without dem n 1-, parting from the spirit thereof, and I desire that g a: only those limitations be placed thereupon as may '0 so 40 an be imposed by the prior art or as are specifically Q g 2;: set out in the appended claims.

no m 9.1 What I claim is:

trisodium phosphate 35 parts, and sodium metaphosphate 55 parts by weight.

2. A hypochlorite composition comprising an alkaline earth hypochlorite compound and an alkali metal metaphosphate, the metaphosphate being present in such proportion as to render the composition soluble in alkaline solutions.

3. A hypochlorite composition comprising an alkaline earth hypochlorite compound and an alkali metal metaphosphate, the metaphosphate being present in such proportions as to render the composition soluble in alkaline detergent solutions.

4. A hypochlorite composition comprising an alkaline earth hypochlorite compound and a mixture of alkali metal meta and pyrophosphates said mixture being present in such proportion as to render the composition soluble in alkaline solutions.

5. A hypochlorite composition comprising an alkaline earth metal hypochlorite compound and a mixture of alkali metal meta and pyrophosphates, the pyrophosphate being from 10 to percent of said mixture, said mixture being present in such proportion as to render the composition soluble in alkaline solutions.

6. A hypochlorite composition comprising a calcium hypochlorite compound and a mixture of alkali metal metaphosphates, the metaphosphates being present in such proportion as to render the composition soluble in alkaline solution.

7. A hypochlorite composition comprising a calcium hypochlorite compound and sodium metaphosphate, the metaphosphate being present in such proportion as to render the hypochlorite soluble in alkaline solutions.

. 8. A hypochlorite composition comprising a calcium hypochlorite compound and a mixture of sodium meta and pyrophosphate, said mixture being present in such proportion as to render the composition soluble in alkaline solutions.

9. A hypochlorite composition comprising a calcium hypochlorite compound a mixture oi a soluble sodium metaphosphate and sodium pyrophosphate, said sodium pyrophosphate being from 10 to 20 percent of said mixture and said mixture being present in such proportion as to render the composition soluble in alkaline solution.

10. A hypochlorite composition comprising a calcium hypochlorite compound, a soluble sodium metaphosphate and an alkaline detergent,'said metaphosphate being present in such proportions as to render said composition soluble in aqueous solutions having a pH greater than 7.0.

11. A hypochlorite composition comprising a calcium hypochlorite compound, a soluble sodium metaphosphate and trisodium phosphate, said metaphosphate being present in such proportions as to render said composition soluble in aqueous solutions having a pH greater than 7.0.

12. A hypochlorite composition comprising a calcium hypochlorite compound, a soluble sodium metaphosphate and soap, said metaphosphate being present in such proportion as to render said composition soluble in aqueous solutions having a pH greater than 7.0.

13. A freely lathering hypochlorite solution having a pH greater than 7.0 and comprising a calcium hypochlorite compound and a soluble sodium metaphosphate.

14. A hypochlorite composition comprising an alkaline earth hypochlorite compound and an alkali metal pyrophosphate, the pyrophosphate being present in such proportion as to render the composition soluble in aqueous solutions having a pH greater than 7.0.

15. A freely lathezins hypochlorite solution having a pH greater than 7.0 and comprising a calcium hypochlorite compound and a sodium pyrophosphate.

16. A bleaching and disinfecting composition comprising sodium metaphosphate and an alkaline-earth metal hypochlorite.

17. A bleaching and disinfecting composition comprising sodium metaphosphate and calcium hypochlorite.

18. A bleaching and disinfecting solution comprising an alkali-metal metaphosphate and a hypochlorite dissolved in a hard water.

19. The process of preparing a bleaching solution comprising dissolving an alkali metal metaphosphate and a hypochlorite in hard water.

20. The process of preparing a bleaching solution comprising dissolving an alkali metal metaphosphate and an alkaline earth metal hypo! chlorite in water.

21. A dry water-soluble chlorine compound comprising a difllcultly soluble hypochlorite and a solubilizing agent for the same comprising a phosphate which yields soluble compounds of the cation of the hypochlorite on the alkaline side of neutrality in aqueous solution.

22. A dry water-soluble chlorine compound comprising an alkali earth metal hypochlorite and a solubilizing agent for the same comprising a phosphate which yields soluble compounds of the cation of the hypochlorite on the alkaline side of neutrality in aqueous solution.

23. A dry water-soluble chlorine compound comprising a dimcultly soluble hypochlorite and a solubilizing agent for the same comprising an alkali metal phosphate which yields soluble compounds of the cation of the hypochlorite on the alkaline side of neutralityin aqueous solution.

24. A dry water-soluble chlorine compound comprising an alkali earth metal hypochlorite and a solubilizing agent for the same comprising an alkali metal phosphate which yields soluble compounds of the cation of the hypochlorite on the alkaline side of neutrality in aqueous solution.

25. A dry water-soluble chlorine compound comprising calcium hypochlorite and a solubilizing agent for the same comprising a phosphate which yields soluble compounds of the cation of the hypochlorite on the alkaline side of neutrality in aqueous solution.

26. A dry water-soluble chlorine compound comprising a diflicultly soluble hypochlorite and a solubilizing agent for the same comprising sodium hexametaphosphate which yields soluble compounds of the cation of the hypochlorite on the alkaline side of neutrality in aqueous solution.

27. A dry water-soluble chlorine compound comprising calcium hypochlorite and a solubilizing agent for the same comprising sodium hexametaphosphate which yields soluble compounds of the cation of the hypochlorite on the alkaline side of neutrality in aqueous solution.

28. A dry water-soluble chlorine compound comprising a diflicultly soluble hypochlorite and a solubilizing agent for the same comprising tetra sodium pyrophosphate which yields soluble compounds of the cation of the hypochlorite on the alkaline side of neutrality in aqueous solution.

CHARLES B. DURGIN. 

